In a great journalistic coup, reporters of La Tercera newspaper online edition, in the ravaged town of Iloca they met 8 year old Victor Díaz who narrates what happened to him, his family and community after the February 27, 8.8 earthquake and tsunami. Victor is an example of the strength, courage and sturdiness of all Chileans.
Showing posts with label Chile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chile. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Chile Run Off Election
With just 3 days before Sunday run off election, between right-wing billionaire presidential candidate Sebastián Piñera, and Centre-left ruling Concertación coalition Senator and former President Eduardo Frei, President Michelle Bachelet said today in a interview on Radio Cooperativa, she will be voting for Eduardo Frei.
Bachelet said her option, although clear from the outset it is reasoned on the fact Frei was able to separate business from public life when he entered politics 20 years ago, by divesting all of his business interest. Something that business mogul Piñera has not done. Bachelet said, Piñera has yet to divest of his businesses, has not sold of or set a blind trust for his multiple stakes in Chile's flag airline carrier, LAN, private hospitals, private television channel CHV among other of Piñera´s multiple business interests.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Is Chile Moving to the Right in Dec 13 Presidential Elections
Chile's National Elections, may yield for the first time since 1958 a President from the right-wing. Billionaire businessman, Sebastian Piñera is riding high on the polls. It seems that he will end 20 years of centre-left Concertación coalition Presidents. The Concertación coalition has ruled Chile successfully since the country's return to democracy in 1990. It appears that Michelle Bachelet and her extremely successful government will not be able to pass the torch to Concertación candidate Senator, and former President, Eduardo Frei.
This from France 24, Focus program, Jessica Le Masurier is the hosts, guests are Kevin Cas-Zamora, Latin America specialist at the Brookings Institute, and myself.
This from France 24, Focus program, Jessica Le Masurier is the hosts, guests are Kevin Cas-Zamora, Latin America specialist at the Brookings Institute, and myself.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
SOME COMMENTS ON RECENT CHILEAN POLITICS
THIS IS A COMMENTARY FROM CHILE BASED RISK AND MILITARY ANALYST ARMEN KOUYOUMDJIAN. I AM POSTING HIS COMMENTARY TO GIVE A DIFFERENT CAUSTIC PERSPECTIVE ON CHILEAN POLITICS.
As We Are Campaigning Full Speed
By Armen Kouyoumdjian
September 8, 2009
Though it has been unofficially going on for as long as one can remember, the election campaign is gathering momentum, though according to the law, the campaign proper cannot start before November 13. Since when were laws respected in Chile, except in country-image discourses? This is probably a pretty unique election in post-Pinochet Chile, due to the existence of a non-negligible third option. This paper does not have the ambition to be a full analysis of the electoral panorama, just over three months before the first round, but a series of pointers and comments with which to follow developments in the remaining months.
THE MAIN CANDIDATES: FREI, PIÑERA, ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI
THE MECHANICS On December 13, over 8.2 million Chileans will be eligible to vote for the president of the Republic (to serve 4 years from March 11, 2010), 120 deputies (of a similar duration), and 18 senators, who will serve for 8 years. There are actually 38 senators in the upper house, half of whom are renewed each 4 years (alternating odd and even –numbered regions-this time it is the turn of the odd numbers). The first two northernmost regions (XV and I), share the same senators, and threeof the other odd-numbered regions have 4 senators each, but the Metropolitan Region (which also has 4 senators) is not in the race this time, the competition is for 18 seats. There is no XIII region.
The Chilean electoral system is idiosyncratic. Voting is compulsory, but only if you are registered. However, it is not compulsory to register, and though between 10 and 15 % of electors do not bother to turn up, I have never heard of anyone actually being prosecuted for that. There are eternal discussions to reverse the situation by making registration automatic and voting optional, but you know how slowly thoughts are transformed into action down here. Foreigners with 5-year residency can register to vote, and in their case it is not compulsory to actually go to do so, but they cannot be candidates. What a relief!
On this occasion, candidates have until September 14 to register, and voters to September 13. Because only 100,000 bothered to do so (less than the increase in population), candidates asked to have the voter registration date pushed back by a month. The move was swiftly sunk by the government.
It looks almost inevitable that the presidential election will go to a second round, which will take place on January 17, 2010. Deputies and senators have no second round, as their election system is pretty complicated and Byzantine, so designed by Pinochet to avoid overwhelming majorities that could actually get something done in the country. The question that begs an answer is why there should be 5 weeks between the two rounds (other countries manage with as little as a week), considering January 17 is in the midst of the Austral summer and a major irritation for many (it is bad enough that the elections themselves take place 10 days before Xmas, at the same time as year-end exams and graduation festivities at schools and universities. Thankfully, it is only each 4 years)
THE CAST Sticking to the presidential race, the contest will be in the first round between the ruling Concertacion candidate and former president Eduardo Frei, businessman and former politician Sebastian Piñera for the Rightist Alianza, and an independent newcomer in the shape of a young deputy who left the Concertacion’s Socialist Party, Marco Enríquez Ominami, to offer a new option.
There may be one or two other candidates, mostly dissidents from the Concertacion, but their combined force is negligible even as leverage. To the left of the Concertacion, former minister Jorge Arrate is trying to convince a rival, Alejandro Navarro, to join forces with him, whereas a former Christian Democrat party chairman, Senator Adolfo Zaldivar, who was expulsed violently from the party, is being wooed back again (how low does opportunistic hypocrisy get in Chile). The final line-up will be known on September 14, so there is not long to wait. On September 23, those in the race will take place in a televised debate led by one of Chile’s most respected journalists, Alejandro Guillier. We are promised that it will not just be monologues, and the participants will have the right to reply to each other’s statements.
On the parliamentary side, there have been many negotiations and deals, and these will go on until the last moments, including attempts to pick up “street walker” politicians, who have moved parties more often than Liz Taylor got married (a good example of this being Jorge Schauhlson, who used to chair the social-democrat PPD and is now ready to have a go as an UDI congressman, to the extreme Right of the political spectrum).
It is an equal opportunity election. Of the three leading candidates, apart from the unavoidable Spanish ancestry, you have Swiss (some say Austrian) background in Frei, and Enriquez-Ominami’s adoptive grandfather was Japanese. A Chilean genealogist did some research and claims that all three are in fact related. That might explain why they got together and went to Mrs. Rosenberg’s Kosher employment agency to each get a discounted campaign mover and shaker. Thus came on board, with less than a steady foothold, Rodrigo Hinzpeter (for Piñera), Pablo Halpern (damaged goods from the InterAmerican Development Bank, for Frei) and Max Colodro for Enriquez-Ominami). At least two of the three have already shown to be more a liability than an asset, but no candidate wants to face the image cost of firing their campaign manager. Chile is really an open society. After all, a Shiite Moslem, Hosain Sabag, was vice-president of the Christian Democrat party not so long ago.
INTERPRETING THE LATEST POLLS The only opinion poll which really matters in Chile is that carried out by the Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP). Contrary to other cut-price exercises carried out on the phone by ringing only landlines (which most poorer people do not have), CEP does it in person, and asks face to face, as well as requesting an anonymous ballot paper to be put in a box, like in a real election.
The latest version of the CEP poll last week (there will be one more, probably in November), came up with the following results for the main presidential race (there were many more questions but I am sticking to the fundamentals (answers from registered voters only.):
-To the question: “Who do you THINK will be the next president of Chile?”, the answers were: Piñera (49 %), Frei (33 %), Enriquez-Ominami (6 %).
-To the question: “Who would you LIKE to be the next president of Chile?”, the score was Piñera (33 %), Frei (22 %), Enriquez-Ominami (14 %), and surprisingly, Bachelet, who got 8 % (though she cannot stand, of course).
-To the question: “Who will you VOTE for in the FIRST round?, the results were Piñera (37 %), Frei (28 %), Enriquez-Ominami (17 %).
-To the question: Who will you vote for in the SECOND round if the contest is Piñera vs. Frei?, the result is Piñera 42 %, and Frei 39 %.
-To the question: Who will you vote for in the SECOND round if the contest is between Piñera and Enriquez-Ominami? , the score is Piñera 44 %, Enriquez-Ominami (34 %).
What do these figures tell us?
-That it appears almost impossible that Marco Enriquez-Ominami moves on to the second round. This seems currently about the only near-certainty of this election. One cannot imagine, short of Frei suffering a health problem or accident, that the outsider can move up the necessary 10-12 points and overtake him in the next 3 months.
-That in either scenario for the second round, most Chilean observers and analysts, showing once again the national aversion for precise arithmetic, do not know how to work out percentages. To find out the real result, you have to exclude from the counting the non-voters, blank and null bulletins. These amount to 19 % if Piñera meets Frei and 22 % if he faces Enriquez-Ominami. These percentages are only slightly higher than at previous elections (16 % in the first round in 2005), so a last minute decision from the undecided is unlikely too.
Consequently, the REAL score of Piñera against Frei is in fact 52 to 48 %, a gap that is hardly an “empate técnico” (a stupid expression which means nothing, and whose inventor should have his tongue cut out. Oh how I regret sometimes that the Taliban are not in power here, instead of the present offering). Against Enriquez-Ominami, the gap is even wider (56-44).
If as expected, Eduardo Frei is Sebastian Piñera’s contender in the second round, the election will boil down to getting as many of the Enriquez-Ominami votes are possible. No easy task as his backing is very varied and mostly a protest vote against traditional politicians. However, it will be the key to the result. He has not ruled out a formal pact to that effect with either party.
WHAT IS ON OFFER The debate has been livelier than usual, but it will never be passionate and to the point. Not only are Chileans reluctant to call things by they name, but they have two stupid hang ups which stifle any progress. One is this ambition of “consensus”. Since when do lottery ticket winners share their prizes with those who bought tickets that won nothing? Does the finalist in a football or tennis match cut the cup in two and hand it to the losers? You have elections in order to CHOOSE between two different sets of people, policies and views of the way the country should be run. Maybe a very sophisticated society with little social differences can aim for consensus, but not the country with the region’s second worse income distribution, and polarised politics, where I keep hearing at social gatherings references to “Comunistas de mierda” about anyone with a social conscience. There is no reconciliation in Chilean society, only the outside appearance of it. Winners should take all. Loser should wait for the next election.
The other hang up is the avoidance and distaste of public personal attacks, as if the country was run by some impersonal computer (like the HAL of a A Space Odyssey), with nobody being responsible for anything. Bad management, corruption, stupid declarations, are all made by people, and these people should be singled out and criticised. Ditto when they preach, with the complicity of the Comptroller’s Office and the Constitutional Tribunal, about high morality, when their 14-year daughters are behaving like sluts. It should all be thrown at those responsible. It is time we had a proper gutter press in this country.
In the meantime, the candidates are promising everything, including all that was rejected in the past 20 years (new Constitution, selective voting rights for expatriate Chileans, etc--). Frei has moved to the Left. Piñera appears to go against the conservative end of the Alianza, by supporting such things as the morning-after pill. This has a price, because he has had to promise some high level ministerial portfolios to these Pinochetist remnants, who will find a good way of sabotaging his plans once in the job. His offer of a 40,000 peso (U$ 72) bonus if elected was clever. With most of the population living from hand to mouth most of the time, they will vote for anyone promising more money in a concrete way.
THE BACHELET FACTOR One other factor that the CEP showed up is that personal attributes and perception are playing a major role in voter choice. This may also explain why, six months from the end of her mandate, President Bachelet has a record 72 % backing in the latest poll. This is not transferable to Frei. It is a personal score.
Mind you, Bachelet seems to be less popular abroad. A gala dinner in New York hosted next September 23 by the Council for the Americas, at which she is to be given a “Gold Insigne”, had to cut its prices by 40 % as bookings were seriously lagging. I was the first to spot this matter, which El Mostrador stole from me (I presume leaked through at third party), and published without attribution, but if I had U$ 10 for each time my thoughts were used with no virtual or material remuneration, I would be a rich man.
DO NOT FORGET CONGRESS Whatever candidates promise, and even if they are sincere about it, there is a small matter most people are forgetting. Everything in Chile has to go through Congress. We do not know which shape Congress will be (I have not seen any opinion polls to that end). We could even have a hung Congress or a co-habitation. In the unlikely event that Enriquez-Ominami became president, he would face an overwhelmingly hostile, or at least non-committal Congress. The legislative process would be paralysed (who will notice?, Ed.)
CONCLUSION I still think that Piñera will win the presidency, even though the odds have shortened. Expect his administration to be more to the Right than he is, particularly if the UDI does well in Congress. Foreigners, remember that most of the officials you wine and dine and invite for freebies to your countries (even if they do nothing for you in return) are on contract or consultancy arrangements, “sponsored” by Concertacion parties or politicians, not established civil servants. On March 12, 2010, they will be out of a job and ringing you for a doorman’s post at your embassy. If Frei wins, he will at least try to ingratiate himself more to the population than during his first term. Either of them will face a more complicated political, ethnic and social panorama, with an economy that is no more on automatic pilot in a calm sea (notwithstanding the idiots who fill the media these days about the recession being “over”, but add that unemployment will continue to go up). This reminds me of a saying during the 1980’s debt crisis, to justify harsh IMF programmes: “The people are suffering, but the country is doing much better”. (the patient is dying, but his cold is much better). What is a country if not its people. You can have a country with no resources, no sea outlet, no airline, no railroads, no Central Bank, but what makes intrinsically a country is its people. If they are suffering, you are not doing a good job. Ite, Misa Est.
As We Are Campaigning Full Speed
By Armen Kouyoumdjian
September 8, 2009
Though it has been unofficially going on for as long as one can remember, the election campaign is gathering momentum, though according to the law, the campaign proper cannot start before November 13. Since when were laws respected in Chile, except in country-image discourses? This is probably a pretty unique election in post-Pinochet Chile, due to the existence of a non-negligible third option. This paper does not have the ambition to be a full analysis of the electoral panorama, just over three months before the first round, but a series of pointers and comments with which to follow developments in the remaining months.
THE MAIN CANDIDATES: FREI, PIÑERA, ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI
THE MECHANICS On December 13, over 8.2 million Chileans will be eligible to vote for the president of the Republic (to serve 4 years from March 11, 2010), 120 deputies (of a similar duration), and 18 senators, who will serve for 8 years. There are actually 38 senators in the upper house, half of whom are renewed each 4 years (alternating odd and even –numbered regions-this time it is the turn of the odd numbers). The first two northernmost regions (XV and I), share the same senators, and threeof the other odd-numbered regions have 4 senators each, but the Metropolitan Region (which also has 4 senators) is not in the race this time, the competition is for 18 seats. There is no XIII region.
The Chilean electoral system is idiosyncratic. Voting is compulsory, but only if you are registered. However, it is not compulsory to register, and though between 10 and 15 % of electors do not bother to turn up, I have never heard of anyone actually being prosecuted for that. There are eternal discussions to reverse the situation by making registration automatic and voting optional, but you know how slowly thoughts are transformed into action down here. Foreigners with 5-year residency can register to vote, and in their case it is not compulsory to actually go to do so, but they cannot be candidates. What a relief!
On this occasion, candidates have until September 14 to register, and voters to September 13. Because only 100,000 bothered to do so (less than the increase in population), candidates asked to have the voter registration date pushed back by a month. The move was swiftly sunk by the government.
It looks almost inevitable that the presidential election will go to a second round, which will take place on January 17, 2010. Deputies and senators have no second round, as their election system is pretty complicated and Byzantine, so designed by Pinochet to avoid overwhelming majorities that could actually get something done in the country. The question that begs an answer is why there should be 5 weeks between the two rounds (other countries manage with as little as a week), considering January 17 is in the midst of the Austral summer and a major irritation for many (it is bad enough that the elections themselves take place 10 days before Xmas, at the same time as year-end exams and graduation festivities at schools and universities. Thankfully, it is only each 4 years)
THE CAST Sticking to the presidential race, the contest will be in the first round between the ruling Concertacion candidate and former president Eduardo Frei, businessman and former politician Sebastian Piñera for the Rightist Alianza, and an independent newcomer in the shape of a young deputy who left the Concertacion’s Socialist Party, Marco Enríquez Ominami, to offer a new option.
There may be one or two other candidates, mostly dissidents from the Concertacion, but their combined force is negligible even as leverage. To the left of the Concertacion, former minister Jorge Arrate is trying to convince a rival, Alejandro Navarro, to join forces with him, whereas a former Christian Democrat party chairman, Senator Adolfo Zaldivar, who was expulsed violently from the party, is being wooed back again (how low does opportunistic hypocrisy get in Chile). The final line-up will be known on September 14, so there is not long to wait. On September 23, those in the race will take place in a televised debate led by one of Chile’s most respected journalists, Alejandro Guillier. We are promised that it will not just be monologues, and the participants will have the right to reply to each other’s statements.
On the parliamentary side, there have been many negotiations and deals, and these will go on until the last moments, including attempts to pick up “street walker” politicians, who have moved parties more often than Liz Taylor got married (a good example of this being Jorge Schauhlson, who used to chair the social-democrat PPD and is now ready to have a go as an UDI congressman, to the extreme Right of the political spectrum).
It is an equal opportunity election. Of the three leading candidates, apart from the unavoidable Spanish ancestry, you have Swiss (some say Austrian) background in Frei, and Enriquez-Ominami’s adoptive grandfather was Japanese. A Chilean genealogist did some research and claims that all three are in fact related. That might explain why they got together and went to Mrs. Rosenberg’s Kosher employment agency to each get a discounted campaign mover and shaker. Thus came on board, with less than a steady foothold, Rodrigo Hinzpeter (for Piñera), Pablo Halpern (damaged goods from the InterAmerican Development Bank, for Frei) and Max Colodro for Enriquez-Ominami). At least two of the three have already shown to be more a liability than an asset, but no candidate wants to face the image cost of firing their campaign manager. Chile is really an open society. After all, a Shiite Moslem, Hosain Sabag, was vice-president of the Christian Democrat party not so long ago.
INTERPRETING THE LATEST POLLS The only opinion poll which really matters in Chile is that carried out by the Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP). Contrary to other cut-price exercises carried out on the phone by ringing only landlines (which most poorer people do not have), CEP does it in person, and asks face to face, as well as requesting an anonymous ballot paper to be put in a box, like in a real election.
The latest version of the CEP poll last week (there will be one more, probably in November), came up with the following results for the main presidential race (there were many more questions but I am sticking to the fundamentals (answers from registered voters only.):
-To the question: “Who do you THINK will be the next president of Chile?”, the answers were: Piñera (49 %), Frei (33 %), Enriquez-Ominami (6 %).
-To the question: “Who would you LIKE to be the next president of Chile?”, the score was Piñera (33 %), Frei (22 %), Enriquez-Ominami (14 %), and surprisingly, Bachelet, who got 8 % (though she cannot stand, of course).
-To the question: “Who will you VOTE for in the FIRST round?, the results were Piñera (37 %), Frei (28 %), Enriquez-Ominami (17 %).
-To the question: Who will you vote for in the SECOND round if the contest is Piñera vs. Frei?, the result is Piñera 42 %, and Frei 39 %.
-To the question: Who will you vote for in the SECOND round if the contest is between Piñera and Enriquez-Ominami? , the score is Piñera 44 %, Enriquez-Ominami (34 %).
What do these figures tell us?
-That it appears almost impossible that Marco Enriquez-Ominami moves on to the second round. This seems currently about the only near-certainty of this election. One cannot imagine, short of Frei suffering a health problem or accident, that the outsider can move up the necessary 10-12 points and overtake him in the next 3 months.
-That in either scenario for the second round, most Chilean observers and analysts, showing once again the national aversion for precise arithmetic, do not know how to work out percentages. To find out the real result, you have to exclude from the counting the non-voters, blank and null bulletins. These amount to 19 % if Piñera meets Frei and 22 % if he faces Enriquez-Ominami. These percentages are only slightly higher than at previous elections (16 % in the first round in 2005), so a last minute decision from the undecided is unlikely too.
Consequently, the REAL score of Piñera against Frei is in fact 52 to 48 %, a gap that is hardly an “empate técnico” (a stupid expression which means nothing, and whose inventor should have his tongue cut out. Oh how I regret sometimes that the Taliban are not in power here, instead of the present offering). Against Enriquez-Ominami, the gap is even wider (56-44).
If as expected, Eduardo Frei is Sebastian Piñera’s contender in the second round, the election will boil down to getting as many of the Enriquez-Ominami votes are possible. No easy task as his backing is very varied and mostly a protest vote against traditional politicians. However, it will be the key to the result. He has not ruled out a formal pact to that effect with either party.
WHAT IS ON OFFER The debate has been livelier than usual, but it will never be passionate and to the point. Not only are Chileans reluctant to call things by they name, but they have two stupid hang ups which stifle any progress. One is this ambition of “consensus”. Since when do lottery ticket winners share their prizes with those who bought tickets that won nothing? Does the finalist in a football or tennis match cut the cup in two and hand it to the losers? You have elections in order to CHOOSE between two different sets of people, policies and views of the way the country should be run. Maybe a very sophisticated society with little social differences can aim for consensus, but not the country with the region’s second worse income distribution, and polarised politics, where I keep hearing at social gatherings references to “Comunistas de mierda” about anyone with a social conscience. There is no reconciliation in Chilean society, only the outside appearance of it. Winners should take all. Loser should wait for the next election.
The other hang up is the avoidance and distaste of public personal attacks, as if the country was run by some impersonal computer (like the HAL of a A Space Odyssey), with nobody being responsible for anything. Bad management, corruption, stupid declarations, are all made by people, and these people should be singled out and criticised. Ditto when they preach, with the complicity of the Comptroller’s Office and the Constitutional Tribunal, about high morality, when their 14-year daughters are behaving like sluts. It should all be thrown at those responsible. It is time we had a proper gutter press in this country.
In the meantime, the candidates are promising everything, including all that was rejected in the past 20 years (new Constitution, selective voting rights for expatriate Chileans, etc--). Frei has moved to the Left. Piñera appears to go against the conservative end of the Alianza, by supporting such things as the morning-after pill. This has a price, because he has had to promise some high level ministerial portfolios to these Pinochetist remnants, who will find a good way of sabotaging his plans once in the job. His offer of a 40,000 peso (U$ 72) bonus if elected was clever. With most of the population living from hand to mouth most of the time, they will vote for anyone promising more money in a concrete way.
THE BACHELET FACTOR One other factor that the CEP showed up is that personal attributes and perception are playing a major role in voter choice. This may also explain why, six months from the end of her mandate, President Bachelet has a record 72 % backing in the latest poll. This is not transferable to Frei. It is a personal score.
Mind you, Bachelet seems to be less popular abroad. A gala dinner in New York hosted next September 23 by the Council for the Americas, at which she is to be given a “Gold Insigne”, had to cut its prices by 40 % as bookings were seriously lagging. I was the first to spot this matter, which El Mostrador stole from me (I presume leaked through at third party), and published without attribution, but if I had U$ 10 for each time my thoughts were used with no virtual or material remuneration, I would be a rich man.
DO NOT FORGET CONGRESS Whatever candidates promise, and even if they are sincere about it, there is a small matter most people are forgetting. Everything in Chile has to go through Congress. We do not know which shape Congress will be (I have not seen any opinion polls to that end). We could even have a hung Congress or a co-habitation. In the unlikely event that Enriquez-Ominami became president, he would face an overwhelmingly hostile, or at least non-committal Congress. The legislative process would be paralysed (who will notice?, Ed.)
CONCLUSION I still think that Piñera will win the presidency, even though the odds have shortened. Expect his administration to be more to the Right than he is, particularly if the UDI does well in Congress. Foreigners, remember that most of the officials you wine and dine and invite for freebies to your countries (even if they do nothing for you in return) are on contract or consultancy arrangements, “sponsored” by Concertacion parties or politicians, not established civil servants. On March 12, 2010, they will be out of a job and ringing you for a doorman’s post at your embassy. If Frei wins, he will at least try to ingratiate himself more to the population than during his first term. Either of them will face a more complicated political, ethnic and social panorama, with an economy that is no more on automatic pilot in a calm sea (notwithstanding the idiots who fill the media these days about the recession being “over”, but add that unemployment will continue to go up). This reminds me of a saying during the 1980’s debt crisis, to justify harsh IMF programmes: “The people are suffering, but the country is doing much better”. (the patient is dying, but his cold is much better). What is a country if not its people. You can have a country with no resources, no sea outlet, no airline, no railroads, no Central Bank, but what makes intrinsically a country is its people. If they are suffering, you are not doing a good job. Ite, Misa Est.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Marcelo Bielsa Road to Success
Chile's National Team Football manager Marcelo Bielsa gave this past Thursday, Aug 25, 1 90-minute lecture at a business leadership conference. Bielsa, who rarely gives press conferences or in-depth interviews created great expectations from the public and the media, spoke on leadership, norms and principles. The successful manager, with Argentina, clubs and now with Chile, breaks some of myths that linger in the business circles, regarding leadership, discipline, and in times of crisis versus times of triumph. Bielsa took time to explain to the more than 1200 business leaders, retired football players, and media his keys to success.
The Chile boss, allowed for limited recording of his speech, here are some samples of Bielsa's leadership ideas that can be applied in business and daily life.
Bielsa speaks on leadership: a leader should never lie because in times of adversity that lie comes back to haunt the leader; Bielsa says investment should always take place in times of prosperity, never in times of crisis; The manager says the best must always be pushed to excel to be better, to discipline. For lesser talent it is OK to be permissive.
In this outtake: Bielsa talks about Chile's football revolution was not of his making, he says the talent was waiting to be mined; The manager speaks of fear as his greatest motivator, Bielsa says confidence breads relaxation, while fear keeps the mind alert, he says military leaders always believe in what is the worst that can happen and take measures to counter.
The Chile boss, allowed for limited recording of his speech, here are some samples of Bielsa's leadership ideas that can be applied in business and daily life.
Bielsa speaks on leadership: a leader should never lie because in times of adversity that lie comes back to haunt the leader; Bielsa says investment should always take place in times of prosperity, never in times of crisis; The manager says the best must always be pushed to excel to be better, to discipline. For lesser talent it is OK to be permissive.
Source emol.com
In this outtake: Bielsa talks about Chile's football revolution was not of his making, he says the talent was waiting to be mined; The manager speaks of fear as his greatest motivator, Bielsa says confidence breads relaxation, while fear keeps the mind alert, he says military leaders always believe in what is the worst that can happen and take measures to counter.
Source Cooperativa.cl
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Pinochet's lost millions: the UK connection
From the Sunday edition of UK newspaper the Independent, reporter Hugh O'Shaughnessy tells the story of Pinochet's lost millions:
Two-and-a-half years after the death of General Augusto Pinochet, a report by the Chilean police task force charged with investigating money-laundering has claimed that British authorities and the financial sector were complicit in hiding his massive ill-gotten fortune.
Though the Pinochet family protects the details of its wealth with the help of bankers and advisers from Britain and other countries, the pile of assets in cash, gold, government bonds and shares controlled by the family of the late dictator is now believed to amount to as much as £1bn. Read story
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Progressive Governance Summit
A view of the Progressive Governance Summit, that took place in Viña del Mar, Chile. The Summit was hosted by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. In attendance were the UK Prime Minister Gorodon Brown, Spain President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Brazil's President Lula da Silva, the President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez, Denmark's Primer Minister Jens Stoltember and US Vice President Joe Biden.
Here is part of my experience at the Summit:
Here is part of my experience at the Summit:
Friday, March 06, 2009
Chile Now Boasts two All-News Channel
Wednesday Chile’s public TV network, TVN, unveiled its 24-hour all-news channel, called 24 Horas. This new channel comes into the cable TV market to compete with CNN Chile. Chile's version of CNN is a partnership between Liberty Global –owner of Chile’s largest cable provider VTR- and Time Warner.
CNN Chile began operations last December with 30 minutes news segments around the hour. The channel is centred mostly in Santiago and brings regional news items from partnerships with regional television channels.
The Atlanta based news channel arrival was welcomed by all sectors of public life, because it gives fresh look to news coverage in Chile. CNN Chile is able to give a more diverse view of news than the one seen on Chilean TV channels, who in their news coverage are mostly concerned with the crime beat and other sensational news items.
CNN Chile has been a different voice. But CNN Chile has failed to break news, it has failed to provide live coverage of news events. In fact CNN Chile has had multiple technical glitches due to serious technical editing errors in their digital software that feeds reports to air.
Also CNN Chile is extremely rigid in its 30 minutes segments, it lacks segmented programming, it lacks personalities. CNN Chile is a bland news channel with little muscle or zest behind its coverage.
One click away on the clicker is TVN’s 24 Horas. The channel is oriented towards creating programming that delivers content after a 15-minute news segment at the top of the hour. It has personalities; it is developing segmented niches, with interviews, sports, arts and entertainment, international and financial news. Each of these areas is covered as a clear segment with a presenter identified with each area. To ensure international coverage, 24 Horas signed a partnership deal with NBC’s MSNBC news network.
However, 24 Horas makes the same mistake seen throughout Chilean television, its inability to edit and keep time. 24 Horas continues with the national incapacity to respect the clock, it continues to run over two or three minutes in its programming into the next hour. This is unacceptable for a serious news organization.
The major flaw 24 Horas has, is its Santiago centric news coverage. That coverage can also be seen in its continuity like graphics and information, for example, the weather in Santiago, traffic camera that show Santiago streets. The rest of the country also needs to know the weather and many cities are equipped with traffic cameras that can be followed on the Internet. That is the plus CNN Chile has over 24 Horas, it covers the country better, despite the fact 24 Horas is a channel owned by all Chileans.
24 Horas with its programming segmentation would appear to have an upper hand over CNN Chile’s 30 minute news segments, that contradicts its slogan “está pasando, lo estás viendo”. A slogan that translate to "it’s happening you are watching it," but with its ongoing 30 minute segment, after an hour-and-half, the viewer gets a constant repeat of the same news items. So CNN Chile’s slogan, “está pasando, lo estás viendo,” should translate to "it’s happening we are repeating it."
One final note, I applied unsuccessfully to both channels for employment as a journalist/producer. CNN Chile’s Director General Patricio Hernández told me I was too expensive for the local market. Meanwhile at 24 Horas, I was part of a cattle call with some 80 people. In that cattle call we were placed in an auditorium, there a HR person came to front of the auditorium, told us to fill in a job application form -all had sent resumes- then we were told to do a “psychology profile test.” In that exam we were shown 4 slides of different images and we were supposed to describe what we saw. We were also told to do a word matching test, where we were supposed to find the most correct word that would match with another.
In all my years of living and working in Canada, where I took part in many hiring processes as a candidate or as an interviewer, I was never given nor did I ever performed a psychological test. I was not called for a second interview, which leads me to think I was either to old and expensive, or I did not passed the so-called sham of psychological test.
CNN Chile began operations last December with 30 minutes news segments around the hour. The channel is centred mostly in Santiago and brings regional news items from partnerships with regional television channels.
The Atlanta based news channel arrival was welcomed by all sectors of public life, because it gives fresh look to news coverage in Chile. CNN Chile is able to give a more diverse view of news than the one seen on Chilean TV channels, who in their news coverage are mostly concerned with the crime beat and other sensational news items.
CNN Chile has been a different voice. But CNN Chile has failed to break news, it has failed to provide live coverage of news events. In fact CNN Chile has had multiple technical glitches due to serious technical editing errors in their digital software that feeds reports to air.
Also CNN Chile is extremely rigid in its 30 minutes segments, it lacks segmented programming, it lacks personalities. CNN Chile is a bland news channel with little muscle or zest behind its coverage.
One click away on the clicker is TVN’s 24 Horas. The channel is oriented towards creating programming that delivers content after a 15-minute news segment at the top of the hour. It has personalities; it is developing segmented niches, with interviews, sports, arts and entertainment, international and financial news. Each of these areas is covered as a clear segment with a presenter identified with each area. To ensure international coverage, 24 Horas signed a partnership deal with NBC’s MSNBC news network.
However, 24 Horas makes the same mistake seen throughout Chilean television, its inability to edit and keep time. 24 Horas continues with the national incapacity to respect the clock, it continues to run over two or three minutes in its programming into the next hour. This is unacceptable for a serious news organization.
The major flaw 24 Horas has, is its Santiago centric news coverage. That coverage can also be seen in its continuity like graphics and information, for example, the weather in Santiago, traffic camera that show Santiago streets. The rest of the country also needs to know the weather and many cities are equipped with traffic cameras that can be followed on the Internet. That is the plus CNN Chile has over 24 Horas, it covers the country better, despite the fact 24 Horas is a channel owned by all Chileans.
24 Horas with its programming segmentation would appear to have an upper hand over CNN Chile’s 30 minute news segments, that contradicts its slogan “está pasando, lo estás viendo”. A slogan that translate to "it’s happening you are watching it," but with its ongoing 30 minute segment, after an hour-and-half, the viewer gets a constant repeat of the same news items. So CNN Chile’s slogan, “está pasando, lo estás viendo,” should translate to "it’s happening we are repeating it."
One final note, I applied unsuccessfully to both channels for employment as a journalist/producer. CNN Chile’s Director General Patricio Hernández told me I was too expensive for the local market. Meanwhile at 24 Horas, I was part of a cattle call with some 80 people. In that cattle call we were placed in an auditorium, there a HR person came to front of the auditorium, told us to fill in a job application form -all had sent resumes- then we were told to do a “psychology profile test.” In that exam we were shown 4 slides of different images and we were supposed to describe what we saw. We were also told to do a word matching test, where we were supposed to find the most correct word that would match with another.
In all my years of living and working in Canada, where I took part in many hiring processes as a candidate or as an interviewer, I was never given nor did I ever performed a psychological test. I was not called for a second interview, which leads me to think I was either to old and expensive, or I did not passed the so-called sham of psychological test.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Chileans Killed in Florida, Spying Charges
Here are the latest news highlights from Chile.
For Friday, February 27, 2009
Two Chilean students in a work and travel program were killed by a deranged 60 year old Florida, USA man. Chile defense not compromised says the Minister of Defense. Dakar 2010 Rally to be stated in Chile. Eduardo "Lalo" Parra gravely ill.
For Friday, February 27, 2009
Two Chilean students in a work and travel program were killed by a deranged 60 year old Florida, USA man. Chile defense not compromised says the Minister of Defense. Dakar 2010 Rally to be stated in Chile. Eduardo "Lalo" Parra gravely ill.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lalo Parra Gravely Ill
Eduardo "Lalo" Parra the 90 years-old musician is gravelly ill, his family reports. Lalo Parra, better known as Tío Lalo, or Uncle Lalo, is in a Santiago Hospital connected to a ventilator to ease his illness. Doctors say Parra has a severe urinary infection that is compromising internal organs. His Family says they will wait 72 hours to determine if he will be disconnected from the ventilator with the hope, Parra makes a recovery.
Lalo Parra Profile on TV 2 Years Ago
Parra belongs to Chile´s Royal family of folk music. He is a younger brother to the great folk musician and artist Violeta Parra, and to poet extraordinaire Nicanor Parra; who has been nominated for a Nobel Prize for Literature numerous times. Violeta who has had many of his songs covered the world over was also a plastic artist, who in the early 1960s held an exposition of her work at France's famed Louvre Museum.
Violeta Parra in a French TV documentary
Nicanor is one this country's greatest poets. He is known as the antipoet, because he developed the anti poetry style to break away from Pablo Neruda's poetry. Nicanor's verb incorporates prose, the turn of phrase and pounding of the urban sound into his lyric -some say his work inspired the Beat writers.
Nicanor Parra Documentary Part 1
Nicanor Parra Documentary Part 2
As a teenager, Lalo Parra arrived in Santiago with his brothers and sisters, from their native San Carlos, near the town of Chillan, some 500 Km south of Santiago. In Santiago, they performed folk music in restaurants, cabarets, clubs or anywhere they could get a music gig. Lalo Parra then went on to form a duo with brother Roberto. With Roberto they began to perform and record Chile's national dance and song the Cueca, mixing it with other sounds leading to a Chilean version of jazz/foxtrot.
That music style was rescued by a younger generation of musicians who returned Lalo Parra to the mainstream of Chilean rock pop music. Lalo Parra is also responsible for the resurgence in Cueca during the country's national festivities. But particularly the Cueca Brava, or urban rough and tumble Cueca.
The Parra family was large, nine brothers and sisters all artists who performed singing the music from the countryside, which they made known into the mainstream of Chilean culture and society. That work is owed to the seminal work of Violeta who travelled the countryside north and south capturing and composing the country's music. Lalo and Roberto's duo concentrated in bar music that eventually made it to the current rock and pop music.
Tio Lalo Parra retired from performing two years ago when a severe pneumonia kept him bed ridden, he caught it, when he was performing during National Day Festivities. Parra did make a promise to make it to Chile's Bicentennial in 2010.
For those of us who love music and popular culture deeply rooted in Chile's countryside, we hope Parra is able to make it and sip a cup of red wine or chicha -homemade sweet wine made from grapes or apple- on September 18, 2010.
Lalo Parra Profile on TV 2 Years Ago
Parra belongs to Chile´s Royal family of folk music. He is a younger brother to the great folk musician and artist Violeta Parra, and to poet extraordinaire Nicanor Parra; who has been nominated for a Nobel Prize for Literature numerous times. Violeta who has had many of his songs covered the world over was also a plastic artist, who in the early 1960s held an exposition of her work at France's famed Louvre Museum.
Violeta Parra in a French TV documentary
Nicanor is one this country's greatest poets. He is known as the antipoet, because he developed the anti poetry style to break away from Pablo Neruda's poetry. Nicanor's verb incorporates prose, the turn of phrase and pounding of the urban sound into his lyric -some say his work inspired the Beat writers.
Nicanor Parra Documentary Part 1
Nicanor Parra Documentary Part 2
As a teenager, Lalo Parra arrived in Santiago with his brothers and sisters, from their native San Carlos, near the town of Chillan, some 500 Km south of Santiago. In Santiago, they performed folk music in restaurants, cabarets, clubs or anywhere they could get a music gig. Lalo Parra then went on to form a duo with brother Roberto. With Roberto they began to perform and record Chile's national dance and song the Cueca, mixing it with other sounds leading to a Chilean version of jazz/foxtrot.
That music style was rescued by a younger generation of musicians who returned Lalo Parra to the mainstream of Chilean rock pop music. Lalo Parra is also responsible for the resurgence in Cueca during the country's national festivities. But particularly the Cueca Brava, or urban rough and tumble Cueca.
The Parra family was large, nine brothers and sisters all artists who performed singing the music from the countryside, which they made known into the mainstream of Chilean culture and society. That work is owed to the seminal work of Violeta who travelled the countryside north and south capturing and composing the country's music. Lalo and Roberto's duo concentrated in bar music that eventually made it to the current rock and pop music.
Tio Lalo Parra retired from performing two years ago when a severe pneumonia kept him bed ridden, he caught it, when he was performing during National Day Festivities. Parra did make a promise to make it to Chile's Bicentennial in 2010.
For those of us who love music and popular culture deeply rooted in Chile's countryside, we hope Parra is able to make it and sip a cup of red wine or chicha -homemade sweet wine made from grapes or apple- on September 18, 2010.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Mapuches Accuse Chile of Torture
Mapuche Indian activists face a difficult time as they try to make historical claim to recover their lands. But in their struggle, they have come into a head on collision with forestry companies, large landowners. Also, the Government appears to do little to solve the long-standing conflict.
Waikilaf Cadin accuses police and prison officials of torture. He is a Mapuche Indian activist who has seen his father Antonio Cadin, mother -Werkén and Community Chief- Juana Calfunao, and a brother Jorge jailed when they fought to recover part of their ancestral lands taken during the Pinochet dictatorship. Cadin’s 14 year sister, Remultry had also a rough childhood.
Cadin´s arrest for Public Disturbance
"Remultray was raised in a hostile climate, in an environment were a child cannot grow healthy she witnessed police raids, detention, and lived through 3 house fires," Cadin said nonplussed.
He adds: "when we were attacked by paramilitary groups she hid under the bed, listening to shots. So as a family, we decided to let her live a different life where she can grow as a normal girl." Remultray is now seeking asylum is Switzerland,
In the land struggle, Cadin and Remultray’s parents, who are Mapuche elders, were convicted to 3 years imprisonment. Cadin himself was in custody for 18 months. During his detention, Waikilaf Cadin was busy inside the Temuco jail, organizing a movement around the prisoners’ rights of his fellow Mapuches.
It was then when Cadin claims, he was beaten by Prison Guards.
"I began to lead a prison rights movement fighting against human rights violations, inhuman and degrading treatment, jail overcrowding, trial delay and many other pressing issues."
The response to his activism it was to transfer him from the Temuco Jail to Santiago's Maximum Security Jail, 800 km north. During that transfer Cadin says, "I was tortured for some 9 hours in the transfer to Santiago’s Maximum Security Prison. I was beaten on the road, the van would take side roads so I can be beaten it was scary."
Cadin alleges torture inside a police van when he was transported to Santiago’s Maximum Security Jail.
He shows this reporter photos of himself, depicting multiple back bruises consistent with truncheon lashes.
Pictures supplied by Cadin
Cadin is now waiting for trial for street violence and disorderly conduct.
The Cadin case is just one of the many, in fact, the violence against Mapuche Native peoples is much more systematic says Cristóbal Carmona, a journalist with News Radio Bío-Bío, based in the Mapuche heartland of Temuco.
"Some weeks back a Latin American organization for peace based in Buenos Aires was here investigating the conditions of jailed Mapuches and corroborate charges of torture. They filed a formal complaint against the Chilean State at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission," Carmona said.
He points out that, "in fact, that body has sanctioned Chile a number of times for cases of torture against Mapuches, and for the use of the anti terrorist law against Mapuche activists."
"But the Government usually responds to the Commission with well-intentioned letters but in the end, nothing happens", Carmona stresses.
Mapuches Natives make up 10 percent of Chile’s population, they are the largest ethnic minority. They live in rich lands for agriculture and forestry in the south of Chile, and have fought for their rights since the Spanish invasion.
Smaller ethnic groups live in communities located in the desert north of the country.
Rodolfo Valdivia, is a lawyer with the NGO Observatorio Indigena that works to protect Native rights. He says democracy and related rights have not yet arrived to the Mapuche heartland. "For example, the public prosecutor’s office get to the Mapuches whenever a criminal act is reported somewhere in the region. They are detained, often prosecuted and some tortured."
Valdivia adss the new investment is also detrimental to Mapuche communities. "New investment plans that are not liked by the community like garbage dumps are placed near Mapuche communities or place a new airport in middle of lands used for traditional rituals."
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross will arrive in the region in March, to investigate Mapuche accusations of torture and undue violence at the hands of police and prison guards.
But Mapuche activists are not hopeful. They say despite numerous visits and reports from NGO’s, Mapuche Indians continue to face harsh treatment and government indifference. The discrimination is deeply entrenched they say.
Waikilaf Cadin accuses police and prison officials of torture. He is a Mapuche Indian activist who has seen his father Antonio Cadin, mother -Werkén and Community Chief- Juana Calfunao, and a brother Jorge jailed when they fought to recover part of their ancestral lands taken during the Pinochet dictatorship. Cadin’s 14 year sister, Remultry had also a rough childhood.
Cadin´s arrest for Public Disturbance
"Remultray was raised in a hostile climate, in an environment were a child cannot grow healthy she witnessed police raids, detention, and lived through 3 house fires," Cadin said nonplussed.
He adds: "when we were attacked by paramilitary groups she hid under the bed, listening to shots. So as a family, we decided to let her live a different life where she can grow as a normal girl." Remultray is now seeking asylum is Switzerland,
In the land struggle, Cadin and Remultray’s parents, who are Mapuche elders, were convicted to 3 years imprisonment. Cadin himself was in custody for 18 months. During his detention, Waikilaf Cadin was busy inside the Temuco jail, organizing a movement around the prisoners’ rights of his fellow Mapuches.
It was then when Cadin claims, he was beaten by Prison Guards.
"I began to lead a prison rights movement fighting against human rights violations, inhuman and degrading treatment, jail overcrowding, trial delay and many other pressing issues."
The response to his activism it was to transfer him from the Temuco Jail to Santiago's Maximum Security Jail, 800 km north. During that transfer Cadin says, "I was tortured for some 9 hours in the transfer to Santiago’s Maximum Security Prison. I was beaten on the road, the van would take side roads so I can be beaten it was scary."
Cadin alleges torture inside a police van when he was transported to Santiago’s Maximum Security Jail.
He shows this reporter photos of himself, depicting multiple back bruises consistent with truncheon lashes.
Pictures supplied by Cadin
Cadin is now waiting for trial for street violence and disorderly conduct.
The Cadin case is just one of the many, in fact, the violence against Mapuche Native peoples is much more systematic says Cristóbal Carmona, a journalist with News Radio Bío-Bío, based in the Mapuche heartland of Temuco.
"Some weeks back a Latin American organization for peace based in Buenos Aires was here investigating the conditions of jailed Mapuches and corroborate charges of torture. They filed a formal complaint against the Chilean State at the Inter-American Human Rights Commission," Carmona said.
He points out that, "in fact, that body has sanctioned Chile a number of times for cases of torture against Mapuches, and for the use of the anti terrorist law against Mapuche activists."
"But the Government usually responds to the Commission with well-intentioned letters but in the end, nothing happens", Carmona stresses.
Mapuches Natives make up 10 percent of Chile’s population, they are the largest ethnic minority. They live in rich lands for agriculture and forestry in the south of Chile, and have fought for their rights since the Spanish invasion.
Smaller ethnic groups live in communities located in the desert north of the country.
Rodolfo Valdivia, is a lawyer with the NGO Observatorio Indigena that works to protect Native rights. He says democracy and related rights have not yet arrived to the Mapuche heartland. "For example, the public prosecutor’s office get to the Mapuches whenever a criminal act is reported somewhere in the region. They are detained, often prosecuted and some tortured."
Valdivia adss the new investment is also detrimental to Mapuche communities. "New investment plans that are not liked by the community like garbage dumps are placed near Mapuche communities or place a new airport in middle of lands used for traditional rituals."
A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross will arrive in the region in March, to investigate Mapuche accusations of torture and undue violence at the hands of police and prison guards.
But Mapuche activists are not hopeful. They say despite numerous visits and reports from NGO’s, Mapuche Indians continue to face harsh treatment and government indifference. The discrimination is deeply entrenched they say.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Bachelet in Cuba, Mapuche seeks asylum
Welcome to my first video blog outlining the current news from Chile. For this Thursday February 12, 2009, here are the main items: Bachelet in Cuba; 11 year-old Mapuche girl seeks asylum.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Closed Corporate Culture
Have you tried to speak with a company official on any subject in the news or dealing with company news?
No?
Well, it is not a pleasant experience. Chilean corporate culture is one of mistrust of the press. Most businesses, large or small, do not have a public relations department nor personnel. Forget about finding a vice president responsible for corporate communications, the closer you will get is marketing officials with some communications responsibilities.
Here all company communications is done through public relations firms. A hideous reality of the communications world in Chile. PR firms expertise is not to give access of company officials to the media, but on the contrary, their sole objective is to run interference with a journalist pursuing a story.
PR firms have instituted a policy, as a norm, that the only person who will speak to the media is a company president, no one else is entitled to speak to the media.
This closed doors mentality of mistrust happens not only during times of crisis but even at a time when a journalist is writing a soft piece on "why a business ranks high on a poll as one of the best companies to work for" in Latin America.
That is the reality of Chilean business and their relationship with the media. They hire expensive public relations firms whose objective is to open doors, but they fail to do so. This happens because in one hand they do not understand the work of the media, while on the other, PR firms want to control the message that comes out from their clients to the press.
That control of the message is independent of a business own objective. Their in lies the rub, PR firms have a one simple objective, manage the message and push their own communications' strategy consultancy at a very high fee.
Hence business pay large fees for bad communications advice and to run media interference. As a fact it would cheaper and more transparent if Chilean business hire a VP in charge of communications and to stop wasting money on useless PR firms with a clear conflict of interests.
No?
Well, it is not a pleasant experience. Chilean corporate culture is one of mistrust of the press. Most businesses, large or small, do not have a public relations department nor personnel. Forget about finding a vice president responsible for corporate communications, the closer you will get is marketing officials with some communications responsibilities.
Here all company communications is done through public relations firms. A hideous reality of the communications world in Chile. PR firms expertise is not to give access of company officials to the media, but on the contrary, their sole objective is to run interference with a journalist pursuing a story.
PR firms have instituted a policy, as a norm, that the only person who will speak to the media is a company president, no one else is entitled to speak to the media.
This closed doors mentality of mistrust happens not only during times of crisis but even at a time when a journalist is writing a soft piece on "why a business ranks high on a poll as one of the best companies to work for" in Latin America.
That is the reality of Chilean business and their relationship with the media. They hire expensive public relations firms whose objective is to open doors, but they fail to do so. This happens because in one hand they do not understand the work of the media, while on the other, PR firms want to control the message that comes out from their clients to the press.
That control of the message is independent of a business own objective. Their in lies the rub, PR firms have a one simple objective, manage the message and push their own communications' strategy consultancy at a very high fee.
Hence business pay large fees for bad communications advice and to run media interference. As a fact it would cheaper and more transparent if Chilean business hire a VP in charge of communications and to stop wasting money on useless PR firms with a clear conflict of interests.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Another Notch for World Justice
A retired elderly man boards a plane from Santiago to spend his time touring parts of Europe during the summer. The man, 83 years-old, is a lawyer from Temuco, his name Alfonso Podlech. He is just another respected looking elderly man travelling and touring sites after a lifetime of successful work. But when Podlech approaches the customs window at Barajas Airport in Madrid a red alert pops up on the customs' computer. Alfonso Podlech is wanted on human rights violations.
Podlech was a Chilean Army military prosecutor accused of 1973 disappearance and killing of former priest Omar Venturelli, an Italo-Chilean national. Venturelli was part of a movement called Christians for Socialism, and he was a university professor at Temuco's Catholic University. Podlech is wanted by an Italian prosecutor on Venturelli's disappearance and killing. Podlech spent a few days under Spanish detention before being deported to Italy.
He is now under arrest in an Italian jail awaiting prosecution. Podlech is charged of the October 4, 1973,Venturelli disappearance less than a month after the September 11, 1973, Pinochet led military coup. Venturelli a retired priest, vanished soon after a visit by the notorious "Caravan on Death", that killed many former members and supporters of the overthrown Salvador Allende government throughout Chile, arrived in Temuco. Podlech is charged in Chile of participating in the killing of at least three other people. All part of the "Caravan of Death" October 1973 Temuco killing tour.
Podlech was charged after Venturelli's widow Fresia Cea Villalobos filed charges in an Italian court. Villalobos hopes justice is done to Venturelli and to all Italian nationals victims of human rights violations.
In Chile Podlech was, as of 2005, under investigation for his role during the "Caravan of Death" Temuco killings. He was also under investigation for other cases of human rights violations. Podlech beyond that investigation continued with his life as a retired respected lawyer in Temuco, and overseeing his eldest lawyer son managed his influential law firm's work in the region.
Podlech who is under arrest at an Italian jail, he was denied bail due to the risk of flight. Podlech's personal lawyer travelled to Italy to ensure he has proper legal representation and that he be freed from detention. But he will be in jail until Podlech's trial in late September or early October.
Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley told reporters the Chilean government will give Podlech the required consular support, just like it would do with any other Chilean facing charges abroad. Podlech's family wanted the retired military prosecutor be given the same diplomatic immunity given to Agusto Pinochet during his 1998 London arrest. The government dismissed the demand.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Supreme Mess
The Michelle Bachelet administration got it self into a difficult bind; this after its candidate to occupy a seat in Chile's Supreme Court did not receive sufficient votes in the Senate. Santiago Appeals' Court Judge Alfredo Pfeiffer, a conservative judge, was nominated by the ruling centre-left Concertacion coalition, after a deal was struck with the right-wing opposition to get the ruling coalition's own candidate, Justice Harold Brito, appointed to the occupy one of two vacant spot in the country's Supreme Court.
Judge Pfeiffer, in his entire career as a judge, has upheld the Pinochet dictatorship era Amnesty Law. A law that pardons human rights violators. Pfeiffer has never prosecuted human rights violators, he always has applied the Amnesty Law. Pfeiffer has defied a Supreme Court edict that sets aside the Amnesty Law, which ensures the prosecution of human rights violators. Pfeiffer has closed human rights cases even in some cases without holding an investigation in cases of disappearances of Pinochet era political opponents.
Judge Pfeiffer's reasons for defying the Supreme Court in human rights cases, is that he believes the Amnesty Law is valid, in the books and that it has not been repealed. But the Supreme Court ruled that Law should be set set aside in human rights violation cases.
He also argues that International Law and legal treaties Chile has signed do not have legal binding value in national law, Pfeiffer argues national law trumps international justice.
But what really sets Pfeiffer apart, is an interview he gave in the early 1990's with the conservative daily El Mercurio. He told veteran reporter Raquel Correa, that he did not believe movies that depicted the Jewish holocaust at the hands of Nazi Germany. Pfeiffer the son of a German immigrant to Chile, told Correa the Holocaust was not as bad as depicted in movies.
This is the judge the Bachelet government wanted promoted to the country's Supreme Court. This after the Bachelet government struck that deal with the right-wing opposition. With the agreement the Bachelet administration managed to get the respected judge Haroldo Brito, who has made an impressive career investigating and prosecuting human rights violators, to the Supreme Court in exchange for the second seat to be allocated to Judge Pfeiffer.
It is surprising that the Socialist Bachelet, her centre-left ruling coalition many like Bachelet victims of human rights violations, hitched their reputation on a holocaust apologist and who is dismissive of human rights violations in Chile.
It is also surprising for the right-wing opposition to be angry, they called the Senate rejection of Pfeiffer a betrayal. It is surprising how political deal making becomes an act of political betrayal. Also it is surprising how little attention was given to Pfeiffer's legal views on human rights, international law, and particularly to Pfeiffer's egregious holocaust apologizing.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Truckers Shut Down Chile
Friday morning truck owners ended their four day indefinite strike after reaching an agreement with the Government following all night negotiations. Truck owners demanded the Government do something with the high price of diesel needed to power their rigs. The Government agreed to subsidize up to 80% of the diesel tax collected each time a truck fills up at the pump.
The strike was called for Tuesday dawn, but some truckers jumped the gun Monday partially shutting down the main highway that links Santiago with major ports in central Chile.
Truckers are not the only group feeling the pinch of high oil prices, the rising cost of fuel is causing damage to the economy overall. The country is showing slower economic growth and higher inflation.
Also the cost of electricity has increased dramatically due to the dwindling supplies of natural gas from Argentina used to generate electricity in combine cycle plants. So the generating plants use diesel to power up their electrical generating stations.
In response to the high price of fuels, President Michelle Bachelet announced Monday a series of measures aimed at reducing fuel prices at the pump and energy generation. She announced her Government is investing one billion dollars to the oil stabilization fund, this significant deposit means that when it begins operating will allow for gas, diesel and kerosene prices to be lowered at the gas pump some 50 pesos per litre (10 US cents).
But the truck owners association called the measures a band-aid solution. Truckers who pay on average $1.35 US for one litre of diesel, say the measure is not enough.
Juan Araya, the President of the truckers' association, told the press that the stabilization fund makes him think the government is not listening. He says the billion dollars is important to all Chileans because it will have an impact. "But in our case is a partial solution."
Despite the billion dollar announcement the strike was on. Truckers partially shut down highways all over Chile, and prevented delivery of gasoline to gas stations and of food staples to supermarkets. In some smaller centres, gasoline run out and in supermarket shelves food products began to scarce.
With the spectre of shortages the Government Thursday, called truckers to the sit down to negotiate. The Government caved in to truckers' demands. Truck operators now can write down 80% of the diesel tax they pay at the pump for one year. They had demanded a 100% write off of the diesel tax, but agreed to 80% after the Government moved up from a 50% write down.
Now a truckers' strike in Chile brings back bad memories, because a massive two-month long truckers strike in 1972 and a year later another major strike in part paved the way for the 1973 military coup.
The strike was called for Tuesday dawn, but some truckers jumped the gun Monday partially shutting down the main highway that links Santiago with major ports in central Chile.
Truckers are not the only group feeling the pinch of high oil prices, the rising cost of fuel is causing damage to the economy overall. The country is showing slower economic growth and higher inflation.
Also the cost of electricity has increased dramatically due to the dwindling supplies of natural gas from Argentina used to generate electricity in combine cycle plants. So the generating plants use diesel to power up their electrical generating stations.
In response to the high price of fuels, President Michelle Bachelet announced Monday a series of measures aimed at reducing fuel prices at the pump and energy generation. She announced her Government is investing one billion dollars to the oil stabilization fund, this significant deposit means that when it begins operating will allow for gas, diesel and kerosene prices to be lowered at the gas pump some 50 pesos per litre (10 US cents).
But the truck owners association called the measures a band-aid solution. Truckers who pay on average $1.35 US for one litre of diesel, say the measure is not enough.
Juan Araya, the President of the truckers' association, told the press that the stabilization fund makes him think the government is not listening. He says the billion dollars is important to all Chileans because it will have an impact. "But in our case is a partial solution."
Despite the billion dollar announcement the strike was on. Truckers partially shut down highways all over Chile, and prevented delivery of gasoline to gas stations and of food staples to supermarkets. In some smaller centres, gasoline run out and in supermarket shelves food products began to scarce.
With the spectre of shortages the Government Thursday, called truckers to the sit down to negotiate. The Government caved in to truckers' demands. Truck operators now can write down 80% of the diesel tax they pay at the pump for one year. They had demanded a 100% write off of the diesel tax, but agreed to 80% after the Government moved up from a 50% write down.
Now a truckers' strike in Chile brings back bad memories, because a massive two-month long truckers strike in 1972 and a year later another major strike in part paved the way for the 1973 military coup.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Amnesty International Calls on Government to Rein in Police
Michelle Bachelet was elected President of Chile in 2006, the first woman to hold that post. With her election the long protracted transition to full democracy ended. As she became president, Bachelet invited citizens to become active in their affairs; she said her government would listen to the people. The country's social forces were empowered and began making long postponed demands.
A major demand was the education system, left broken during the military dictatorship; despite the efforts of the democratic governments which pumped millions of dollars into the education system bad outcomes remained.
Students see that their future depends on the quality of education. So they took to the streets just three months into the Bachelet administration in 2006, abruptly ending the honeymoon.
The government ordered police to reign in demonstrators and restore order on the streets.
Now into the third year of the Bachelet government, human rights observers say police heavy handedness and undue force is normal police reaction to peaceful protests.
In early April, the Chile chapter of Amnesty International, they wrote the Interior Minister demanding an end to what they called the police repression of public demonstrations.
Sergio Laurenti, Amnesty International's Chile chapter director, says the serious repression of students in the past year and other activist has prompted us to present a letter to the home minister to discuss openly what's the purpose of this increase brutality that is observe in the police force."
"The most recent and serious situation happened when a group of women were protesting in favour of the distribution of the day after pill, were gravely repressed with the use of addition…extra force and water contaminated with water contaminated with chemical materials."
Laurenti says Amnesty International has not received a response from the Interior Minister.
But the Minister says he has not seen the letter and invited Amnesty International to send the letter again, adding he would gladly meet with them.
Felipe Harboe the Undersecretary of Interior, responsible for police and security, also admitted not seeing the letter and could not comment.
But when he was asked about the repression of demonstrations, and in particular about a severe eye injury sustained by a photojournalist for the Spanish news agency EFE, who was struck by a metal whip wielded by mounted police officer at a recent demonstration.
Harboe says "that a basic democratic principle is the right of the press to work freely. What happens at times is that when there is a free-for-all unfortunately clashes happen that involve journalists, like the grave episode of the photojournalist."
Harboe says "there is not a predetermined police attitude to repress demonstrations and journalists." But he qualifies that some protesters carry video and photo cameras.
Marcial Campos, the President of the Foreign Journalists Association, agrees with Amnesty International. He says journalists are concerned and that police heavy handedness has increased with the Bachelet Government.
"Repression is heavier in this government," Campos says. "I don't know what is behind it or the authorities are trying to protect. I don't know what is their idea, perhaps they think if more police are on the streets there will be less problems."
"They are wrong. People should be allowed to demonstrate, I have covered demonstrations and many times people are provoked. People march in peace but are provoked."
Campos cites the use of the water cannon and the so-called skunk, a jeep that spews tear gas to disperse demonstrators
The government maintains police will ensure public order as a democratic victory and will not allow public disorder, because maintaining public order is the only way to protect democracy.
But Campos says in a democratic society people should be allowed to protest peacefully without fearing police repression for exercising their right to assembly and free speech.
A major demand was the education system, left broken during the military dictatorship; despite the efforts of the democratic governments which pumped millions of dollars into the education system bad outcomes remained.
Students see that their future depends on the quality of education. So they took to the streets just three months into the Bachelet administration in 2006, abruptly ending the honeymoon.
The government ordered police to reign in demonstrators and restore order on the streets.
Now into the third year of the Bachelet government, human rights observers say police heavy handedness and undue force is normal police reaction to peaceful protests.
In early April, the Chile chapter of Amnesty International, they wrote the Interior Minister demanding an end to what they called the police repression of public demonstrations.
Sergio Laurenti, Amnesty International's Chile chapter director, says the serious repression of students in the past year and other activist has prompted us to present a letter to the home minister to discuss openly what's the purpose of this increase brutality that is observe in the police force."
"The most recent and serious situation happened when a group of women were protesting in favour of the distribution of the day after pill, were gravely repressed with the use of addition…extra force and water contaminated with water contaminated with chemical materials."
Laurenti says Amnesty International has not received a response from the Interior Minister.
But the Minister says he has not seen the letter and invited Amnesty International to send the letter again, adding he would gladly meet with them.
Felipe Harboe the Undersecretary of Interior, responsible for police and security, also admitted not seeing the letter and could not comment.
But when he was asked about the repression of demonstrations, and in particular about a severe eye injury sustained by a photojournalist for the Spanish news agency EFE, who was struck by a metal whip wielded by mounted police officer at a recent demonstration.
Harboe says "that a basic democratic principle is the right of the press to work freely. What happens at times is that when there is a free-for-all unfortunately clashes happen that involve journalists, like the grave episode of the photojournalist."
Harboe says "there is not a predetermined police attitude to repress demonstrations and journalists." But he qualifies that some protesters carry video and photo cameras.
Marcial Campos, the President of the Foreign Journalists Association, agrees with Amnesty International. He says journalists are concerned and that police heavy handedness has increased with the Bachelet Government.
"Repression is heavier in this government," Campos says. "I don't know what is behind it or the authorities are trying to protect. I don't know what is their idea, perhaps they think if more police are on the streets there will be less problems."
"They are wrong. People should be allowed to demonstrate, I have covered demonstrations and many times people are provoked. People march in peace but are provoked."
Campos cites the use of the water cannon and the so-called skunk, a jeep that spews tear gas to disperse demonstrators
The government maintains police will ensure public order as a democratic victory and will not allow public disorder, because maintaining public order is the only way to protect democracy.
But Campos says in a democratic society people should be allowed to protest peacefully without fearing police repression for exercising their right to assembly and free speech.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Chilean Students Back to the Streets
In Chile this week, hundreds of high school and university students protested a new education reform bill in Congress that they say prioritizes profits at the expense of education. Demonstrators shut down a number of high schools, and earlier this month protesting students at four universities went on strike.
This week's actions and earlier street demonstrations follow years of student opposition to the country's education system, that boiled over in 2006. Then high school students took to the streets shutting down schools for more than a month, in the so-called penguin revolution, in reference to their uniforms.
The movement forced the ousting of the minister of education and the installment last year of a Presidential commission. The commission made up of educators, education administrators, school operators and students tabled a report that was the framework for the new education legislation.
In committee discussions students demanded clauses that allowed for profit making from public funds in the education system be removed, but it was rejected by most committee members.
Students say the basic principle of profiteering by private operators in education remains in the new legislation.
Profit was introduced to the education system during the military dictatorship as part of introducing market forces to the public sector. The dictatorship also dropped schools into the laps of unprepared municipal governments telling them to compete for students with individuals that opened new schools.
Students are demanding that the new bill be withdrawn and redrafted with the profit provision removed.
David Mora, Vice President of the Catholic University of Valparaíso Students' Union, says "we are mobilized because the Presidential commission that prepared the education bill did not remove from the proposed legislation the issue of profit making with public funds earmarked for public education, as we demanded it in the Commission."
"The government has failed to reject the concept of profiteering with public funds we want them to do so that is our position. That is why we oppose the new legislation."
Another major demand is public funding to public universities that now only receive limited and unequal funding between universities. Many public institutions are in financial peril.
Chile's education system is made up of three segments, public schools, private schools that receive public funds and truly private schools.
The conflict is in private schools that receive public funds operated by individuals who are more concerned with making money than providing education.
Also students demand that public schools be run by the government. Students charge municipalities do not have the capacity to operate schools.
High school student leader Matías Ponce says the new education legislation must be withdrawn. "It is extremely important the President let us know what she thinks because during the state of the nation speech she did not do so."
"She failed to discuss the flawed bill that is being debated in Congress, a bill we want withdrawn," Ponce adds.
But the center-left government does not appear moved by the students' mobilizations.
Administration spokesperson Minister Francisco Vidal says the bill is in Congress, now it is up to elected officials to debate it.
Vidal says decision lies with the people's representatives not with school assemblies. "Students' are calling for the end of profit and their rejection of the new education bill; Chilean society has to make a decision on where public policies are debated."
Vidal says "in a democracy they are decided in Congress another option is they be debated in a student assembly. Chile's decision was to listen to all stakeholders, but the place to make decisions is Congress."
The government wants the bill approved, because there is an agreement with the right-wing opposition to approve the legislation as drafted that includes the controversial profit concept.
Meanwhile students will continue to demonstrate against the bill.
This week's actions and earlier street demonstrations follow years of student opposition to the country's education system, that boiled over in 2006. Then high school students took to the streets shutting down schools for more than a month, in the so-called penguin revolution, in reference to their uniforms.
The movement forced the ousting of the minister of education and the installment last year of a Presidential commission. The commission made up of educators, education administrators, school operators and students tabled a report that was the framework for the new education legislation.
In committee discussions students demanded clauses that allowed for profit making from public funds in the education system be removed, but it was rejected by most committee members.
Students say the basic principle of profiteering by private operators in education remains in the new legislation.
Profit was introduced to the education system during the military dictatorship as part of introducing market forces to the public sector. The dictatorship also dropped schools into the laps of unprepared municipal governments telling them to compete for students with individuals that opened new schools.
Students are demanding that the new bill be withdrawn and redrafted with the profit provision removed.
David Mora, Vice President of the Catholic University of Valparaíso Students' Union, says "we are mobilized because the Presidential commission that prepared the education bill did not remove from the proposed legislation the issue of profit making with public funds earmarked for public education, as we demanded it in the Commission."
"The government has failed to reject the concept of profiteering with public funds we want them to do so that is our position. That is why we oppose the new legislation."
Another major demand is public funding to public universities that now only receive limited and unequal funding between universities. Many public institutions are in financial peril.
Chile's education system is made up of three segments, public schools, private schools that receive public funds and truly private schools.
The conflict is in private schools that receive public funds operated by individuals who are more concerned with making money than providing education.
Also students demand that public schools be run by the government. Students charge municipalities do not have the capacity to operate schools.
High school student leader Matías Ponce says the new education legislation must be withdrawn. "It is extremely important the President let us know what she thinks because during the state of the nation speech she did not do so."
"She failed to discuss the flawed bill that is being debated in Congress, a bill we want withdrawn," Ponce adds.
But the center-left government does not appear moved by the students' mobilizations.
Administration spokesperson Minister Francisco Vidal says the bill is in Congress, now it is up to elected officials to debate it.
Vidal says decision lies with the people's representatives not with school assemblies. "Students' are calling for the end of profit and their rejection of the new education bill; Chilean society has to make a decision on where public policies are debated."
Vidal says "in a democracy they are decided in Congress another option is they be debated in a student assembly. Chile's decision was to listen to all stakeholders, but the place to make decisions is Congress."
The government wants the bill approved, because there is an agreement with the right-wing opposition to approve the legislation as drafted that includes the controversial profit concept.
Meanwhile students will continue to demonstrate against the bill.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Chile Receives Palestinian From Iraq
The US war in Iraq has resulted in masses of refugees, many of them Palestinian-Iraqis, who now reside mostly in desert camps in the Iraq Syria border. After the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees pleaded with its member nations, the government of Chile said it would allow 117 Palestinians to enter the South American country. Last April, a handful of Palestinian refugee families arrived in Chile.
The small city of La Calera some 50 miles north of Santiago saw the arrival of 8 Palestinian families totaling 38 people, most of them children. The town was chosen because of the large Chilean-Palestinian resident community that began settling in these parts some 100 years ago.
Tamer Khalifah, who was a history teacher in Iraq, found work as a school hall monitor at a local public school, in La Calera, aptly named Palestine Public School. In basic English, he tells me that he is happy to come to Chile. He adds that he is pleased to have left behind living in a tent at the Al Tanf camp in the Iraqi-Syria border.
To Khalifah Chile is a place to begin a new life, particularly for his children. A history teacher in Iraq, Khalifah now works as a school hall monitor in the aptly named Palestine Public School. A school that is now home to all school-age Palestinian refugee children.
The 38 refugees are in their first month of a two-year settlement program. The adults will be placed in jobs after six months of language training program.
The Government is also providing housing, heath care and education for the children.
UNCHR's director in Chile has praised the settlement program calling it to date a success.
Nancy Ponce is the school principal at the Palestine Public School. She is also a neighbour to the 8 families settled in La Calera.
She says having the new students in school has been a rewarding experience for her and for the entire school community. She tells me there has been a normal integration process. She says Chilean students have taken under their wings the new students. "The girls take the new students by their hands, they teach them, play with them.
Ponce describes the integration process a normal. But Ponce cautions that regular Chilean society is not the same as her school. Adults will have a tougher time integrating.
Specially trained resettlement workers are assigned to each refugee group and are monitoring the settlement program. In La Calera the group is monitored by social worker Monica Chahuan.
She says the local Chilean-Palestinian community here is helping the new refugees, for example they have arranged jobs for the new arrivals as soon as they finish language training, this as a way to remember and repay their grandparents who fled Palestine some 100 years ago.
Chahuan says it has been an intense, difficult, beautiful experience. She says, they now have their own IDs, they are slowly becoming part of the community making friends among with the locals.
Two weeks ago, a second group of Palestinians arrived from the Al-Tanf camp. They settled near La Calera in the small city of San Felipe. Two remaining groups will be settled in the coming weeks in Santiago neighbourhoods that have a high concentration of Chilean Palestinians.
The small city of La Calera some 50 miles north of Santiago saw the arrival of 8 Palestinian families totaling 38 people, most of them children. The town was chosen because of the large Chilean-Palestinian resident community that began settling in these parts some 100 years ago.
Tamer Khalifah, who was a history teacher in Iraq, found work as a school hall monitor at a local public school, in La Calera, aptly named Palestine Public School. In basic English, he tells me that he is happy to come to Chile. He adds that he is pleased to have left behind living in a tent at the Al Tanf camp in the Iraqi-Syria border.
To Khalifah Chile is a place to begin a new life, particularly for his children. A history teacher in Iraq, Khalifah now works as a school hall monitor in the aptly named Palestine Public School. A school that is now home to all school-age Palestinian refugee children.
The 38 refugees are in their first month of a two-year settlement program. The adults will be placed in jobs after six months of language training program.
The Government is also providing housing, heath care and education for the children.
UNCHR's director in Chile has praised the settlement program calling it to date a success.
Nancy Ponce is the school principal at the Palestine Public School. She is also a neighbour to the 8 families settled in La Calera.
She says having the new students in school has been a rewarding experience for her and for the entire school community. She tells me there has been a normal integration process. She says Chilean students have taken under their wings the new students. "The girls take the new students by their hands, they teach them, play with them.
Ponce describes the integration process a normal. But Ponce cautions that regular Chilean society is not the same as her school. Adults will have a tougher time integrating.
Specially trained resettlement workers are assigned to each refugee group and are monitoring the settlement program. In La Calera the group is monitored by social worker Monica Chahuan.
She says the local Chilean-Palestinian community here is helping the new refugees, for example they have arranged jobs for the new arrivals as soon as they finish language training, this as a way to remember and repay their grandparents who fled Palestine some 100 years ago.
Chahuan says it has been an intense, difficult, beautiful experience. She says, they now have their own IDs, they are slowly becoming part of the community making friends among with the locals.
Two weeks ago, a second group of Palestinians arrived from the Al-Tanf camp. They settled near La Calera in the small city of San Felipe. Two remaining groups will be settled in the coming weeks in Santiago neighbourhoods that have a high concentration of Chilean Palestinians.
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